Best camera to take pictures of coins

[jamesf-migration]

I have a Canon sd900 with a tripod and use the correct lighting, but am having problems correctly focusing and lighting the object to show the coins correct details. So far the focus is a little off or the detail is just not there or the lighting is too bright

 

I've been taking the pictures from about 8" with and without the zoom. I've set the camera to spot focus but it still appears to focus on multiple sites

 

I see some beautiful pictures of your coins on this website. So...

 

How do you do it?

 

What camera do you use?

 

What quality do you use? Good, Fine Ultrafine?

 

Is it correct to use a photoshop program to enhance your photo and post it

 

[wdrob]

 

I have a Canon sd900 with a tripod and use the correct lighting, but am having problems correctly focusing and lighting the object to show the coins correct details. So far the focus is a little off or the detail is just not there or the lighting is too bright

 

I've been taking the pictures from about 8" with and without the zoom. I've set the camera to spot focus but it still appears to focus on multiple sites

 

I see some beautiful pictures of your coins on this website. So...

 

How do you do it?

 

What camera do you use?

 

What quality do you use? Good, Fine Ultrafine?

 

Is it correct to use a photoshop program to enhance your photo and post it

 

1.) You will never be able to take pictures of coins like Robec, rmpsrpms, Deerfan, brg5658, etc... (insert name of any other pro quality coin photographers on this forum... There are many) using a 'Instant Camera'. You will need a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera if you wish to get serious about your images.

2.) Here is a recent thread with links within, where I essentially asked the same question. There are many pages worth of reading referenced in that thread by Ray.

3.) No photoshopping images to hide imperfections. Some folks use photoshop type programs and adjust the brightness or contrast post imaging but I think that is about the extent of any photo manipulations, other than cropping (circle cropping) the image to place on a presentation backdrop.

 

I will let the pro's weigh in and offer you some far more useful expert advice now.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

 

 

[Deerefan8420]

Thank you Bill for the nice compliment. Let me start off by saying that I still consider myself an amateur when it comes to coin photography.

 

There are many different ways and techniques you can use to acquire decent images of coins. Most everyone would recommend a DSLR with a quality macro lens. As far as the brand of camera/lens, that's your decision to make. I started off using a Nikon D3100 with a Tamron 90mm macro lens. Now I have a Canon T3i with an autobellows setup(built by Ray) and a 105mm enlarging lens.

 

Lighting is another big factor in getting quality images. I have noticed that with some lighting, the ability to get sharper focus is somewhat diminished. I use a variety of bulbs when taking images of my coins. It all depends on the look and the effect I'm trying to capture. I can say that I don't use the same bulbs for every coin. Some coins like high angled lighting and some coins don't. You just have to experiment with different lighting and see what works best for you.

 

You can use Photoshop to edit/enhance your images if you like. However, I would not recommend any enhancements that do not display the coin accurately. Most of what I use Photoship for is just what Bill said, circle cropping images and placing them on backgrounds for image prrsentations.

 

As far as how to do it all, that is something you will have to learn yourself. There are a lot of great guys here who will give you lots of advice and will point you in the right direction. But it is not as simple as being told what to do and how to do it. It takes time, patience, and lots of practice!

 

If you have a small collection(or just a few select coins you want imaged) sometimes your best financial option is to send them to a numismatic photographer and have your coins imaged properly. Cons

[coinsbygary]

I have been using essentially the same set-up as that used by BRG5658 except that the camera I use is the Nikon D3100. My photography experience has been an evolution for me and I am still learning and making adjustments to my process. That said, as far as equipment is concerned I am basically where I want to be with the set-up I currently have. Having spent the money to buy the set-up, I'm now spending the "hours" it takes of trial and error to get the results I desire.

 

I am in agreement of the previous posters in this thread about minimal edits. For a while I was messing with raw photo editing only to find myself all messed up. Thus I use Photoshop Elements for my editor and primarily adjust the lighting and contrast to get the desired photos. I am posting a link to a blog where BRG5658 itemizes the equipment in his set-up. I hope you eventually get to the place where you are happy with your pictures.

Gary

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=246246&Number=5389487#Post5389487

[messydesk]

Depends how you want to use the results and how you want to spend your coin money. You can get respectable shots using a $100 point and shoot as long as it can focus reasonably close, or you can chomp at the bit to drop $2000 on a new camera body that offers an extra edge over the one you've been using for the past 7 years (Nikon D80, 105 mm and 200 mm macro lenses).

 

I'm currently looking at the manual for your camera, and on page 129 it shows that at the telephoto zoom setting (T), with macro (flower mode) turned on, you can focus between 30 and 50 cm from the front of the lens. You won't be filling the display with a dime, but with a 10 MP camera, you can crop to the center 1/3 of the image in each direction and still have a good enough picture for a web page. At 8", you're too close to zoom at all with macro, and you limit your working distance for lights.

 

For the other camera settings, use the lowest ISO setting (not auto), the finest image quality, and white balance that matches the light source. Don't use auto white balance, because you will almost always get the wrong color. Also, use the 2 second self timer to reduce camera motion induced when you press the shutter release button.

 

Post-processing is a very powerful tool, but it can't turn a bad photo into a good one. Minor color and exposure correction, cropping, and resizing should be all you need to use it for on a good picture.

[jom]

I use a D3100 with some OTT lamps. I still have a hard time with light reflecting off the slab plastic so I'm still working on it. I have a Tokina 100m macro lens also. I do a White Balance adjustment with one of those gray cards and the self timer at 2 second..the low ISO setting and high quality image as well...similar to MessyDesk...

 

Have fun!

 

jom

[Eric Hazen]

I use a Canon EOS 60D with 2-3 halogen lights depending on the coin.

[bsshog40]

I use a Canon T4i.

[Hard Times]

There are a variety of 'best' camers and best setups. But there it only one book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Numismatic-Photography-2nd-Mark-Goodman/dp/193399004X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400280538&sr=1-1&keywords=numismatic+photography

 

Buy the book before the camera.

 

Best, HT

[rmpsrpms]

The camera I have been recommending for last year is the Canon Rebel XS / 1000D. It has a 10.2MP sensor with Live View to view the coin on your computer screen before you shoot. This helps in framing the shot, getting the lighting angles just right, setting white balance on the fly so the colors come out right, etc. The software to control the camera comes FREE and is pretty easy to use. Newer Canon cameras also have these features, but you don't need the latest and greatest camera to take good pictures, and 10.2MP is more than you need. You'll likely downsize the images by 3x to fit on your screen anyway! You can pick up a Rebel XS for around $150-$175 on eBay, used of course. This pricing is for body only, no lens.

 

Along with the camera you will need a lens. That's another whole discussion topic on its own...

 

Ray

[jamesf-migration]

Thanks messerock,

I'll try your suggestions. I'll let you know if it helps. Seems to me that most people are my situation and the coin pictures are just not going to be good as what you see if you hold the coin in your hand,

 

If that's the case, how can you get a fair value over e-bay

[mumu]

I use a D3100 with some OTT lamps. I still have a hard time with light reflecting off the slab plastic so I'm still working on it. I have a Tokina 100m macro lens also. I do a White Balance adjustment with one of those gray cards and the self timer at 2 second..the low ISO setting and high quality image as well...similar to MessyDesk...

 

Have fun!

 

jom

 

Your problem is the OTT lamps. They reflect more off the slab than any other lighting type. Its hard to accept because they also bring out color the best of any type.

[RWB]

Taking good coin photos is, firstly, about learning to control the lens, camera body and lighting. Practice with what you have first (based on the many good suggestions above), then look for better quality equipment that will produce improved quality.

 

Lens: controls the amount of light reaching the CCD and the initial sharpness/contrast of the image; also the space between lens front and the coin (called the "working distance").

Body: controls the length of time light reaches the CCD and the maximum resolution of the image (via the total pixel count); also adjusts the white balance to match your lighting source color temperature.

Lighting: controls the way light is reflected from the coin; also the available spectrum of light. The best lights imitate sunlight in having a balanced spectrum with no prominent peaks or gaps (such as in green, typical of fluorescents). Circular lights are easier to control than tubular ones; contrast of the lighting depends only on the ratio of the size of the coin to the size of the light source.

 

[RWB]

"They reflect more off the slab than any other lighting type."

 

No. Every object of the same size relative to the slab and lens, and same light output will reflect exactly the same, unless you introduce polarization.

[mumu]

"They reflect more off the slab than any other lighting type."

 

No. Every object of the same size relative to the slab and lens, and same light output will reflect exactly the same, unless you introduce polarization.

 

Not true. The housing can shape the photon stream. The tube shape of the OTTS disperses light differently than the common roundish bulb. But the shape of the light is affected by the housing which in ott lamps is that curved tubey thing. Additionally there are other effects other than polarization that can occur from the material of the housing. Such as seen with reveal bulbs versus natural whites.

 

If you were talking about individual photons then yes, a photon is a photon, but light bulb technology has changed to the point where photons are being altered by the housing.

[RWB]

mumu -- Have you filled your tires with N2 yet?

 

The apparent size of the light source is fixed by the geometry of the lamp. That does not change once the photons have passed beyond the edge of the reflector, unless you introduce a reflector, diffuser or other change. If the sizes are equal, the reflections will be equal in size, also. (The color of the light emitted is altered by the absorption/transmission characteristics of the lamp coating acting on the original spectrum of the source.)

 

[rmpsrpms]

Fluorescent lights like OTTs are pretty big sources, so I suppose there may be a higher likelihood of direct reflections if they are not properly placed. Move them farther away and they are just like any other small source. Like RWB says, it's all about the size and shape of the source, including any reflectors or diffusers.

[RWB]

(PS: Once a photon leaves the glass envelope of a bulb, it travels in a straight line unless the path is altered.)

[mumu]

"They reflect more off the slab than any other lighting type."

 

No.

 

The apparent size of the light source is fixed by the geometry of the lamp.

 

Given that OTT lights have a very distinct geometry, which I described as "housing", your point does not disqualify my statement. The geometry of the OTT light causes more reflection of the slab. I stand by my original statement and whether you are OK with it or not, your statements agree with mine.